Abstract
Objective: To take an epidemiological look into hamstring injuries in Jamaican athletes presenting to the University of the West Indies (UWI) Sport Medicine Clinic between 2007 and 2016. The research focused on the contribution of certain demographics and types of sports and activities to the classification, recovery and recurrence of these injuries. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on all the athletes who presented to the UWI Sports Medicine Clinic between 2007 and 2016. An electronic data extraction sheet was used for data collection. The target population consisted of athletes from 13 to 25 years of age who participated in competitive sports at the time of injury. Results: Of the 125 dockets reviewed, 92 were males (73.6%), 30 were females (24%) and three were of unknown sex (2.4%). In summary, 62.4% of the injuries occurred in the 17-21 years age group, 24.8% in the 22-25 years age group and 12.8% in the 13-16 years age group. Seventy-six percent of injuries occurred in Track athletes. Running/sprinting activities were culpable for most of the injuries (42%). Of the 134 injuries, 15.7% were low, 7.5% occurred in the muscle belly, 4.5% were high and the others were unspecified. Fifteen athletes (11.2%) had subsequent recurrences with the highest recurrence rate amongst Track & Field athletes. Only 3 of 21 low injuries and 1 of 6 high injuries recovered within 6 weeks. Conclusion: Hamstring injuries are common in Jamaican athletes with a significant male preponderance. Track & Field athletes, those in the 17 to 21 years age group and those engaging in running or sprinting activities were more likely to sustain injuries. It was difficult to compare the recovery rates of high and low injuries and recurrence rates were found to closely match those in current literature.
Highlights
Hamstring injuries are not uncommon in the athletic population
One thousand and seventy-five dockets from The University of the West Indies (UWI) Sports Medicine Clinic were reviewed. 125 athletes were eligible for the study with a total of 134 hamstring injuries
There was no significant difference in the recovery rates for high and low injuries in this study
Summary
Hamstring injuries are not uncommon in the athletic population. they account for almost one third (29%) of all sporting injuries.[1]. Type I hamstring strains occur during high-speed running and are more common They usually involve the long head of the biceps femoris primarily at the musculotendinous junction.[4] Track, football and rugby carry the highest incidence of type I hamstring injuries due to the sprinting demands of these sports. Type II injuries typically occur during movements involving excessive lengthening of the hamstrings with the hip in a greater degree of flexion. This injury is usually located in close proximity to the ischial tuberosity and involves the proximal free tendon of the semimembranosus. This injury is very common among dancers who employ extreme stretching techniques.[5]
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